Secrets
by Entaria
Summary: An attempt on Mulder's life reveals he's been working a case without Scully, and he refuses to tell her what's going on. But when she has to look after him while he recovers, he realizes the secret may be harder to keep than he thought.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first X-Files fic, so please go easy on me. Anyway, I should be doing homework but... I just couldn't get this idea out of my head without writing it down. And once it's written, might as well post it, right? I've been watching X-Files the last few nights (there's nothing on tv, so time to watch my box sets!) and noticed that once or twice a season, there comes an episode or two where you see exactly how protective (and sometimes possessive) Scully and Mulder are of each other. So that's sort of what inspired this story (specifically, it was War of the Coprohaghes, Syzygy, and Grotesque, from season 3, so if you happen to see some similarities, that's why. heheh...). I'm not really into romance that much, but I do like the little hints at it. It always makes me smile. So there might be a teeny bit of shipping here and there... because sometimes I just can't resist.**

**I don't think there will be any spoilers, but you never really know. My stories tend to just happen, with no real plan. The first chapter is safe anyway.**

**No particular time-frame for this one. You could probably set it sometime in the first few seasons, but it doesn't really make much of a difference where you put it.**

**Disclaimer: The X-Files does not belong to me. It belongs to... whoever created it, I can't think of the name right now. The only claim I have is to writing this particular story, and to one of the characters, who has yet to be named.**

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Chapter 1

"Goddammit, Mulder. What are we doing here?" Scully muttered to herself as she stepped carefully around piles of old debris, trying to make as little noise as possible. Gun drawn, she watched for any sign of movement. Mulder was being oddly secretive about this case. In fact, the first she'd heard of it was just under half an hour ago when Mulder had told her "he's here." Whoever "he" was, Mulder wouldn't say. Dana smiled. It was probably someone claiming to be an alien, and Mulder didn't want her to make fun of him for believing the guy.

Then again, Mulder was taking this rather seriously - more so than usual. He had insisted she keep her gun out at all times. He'd barely even agreed to let her leave the car, and had then immidiately sent her to the opposite side of the old warehouse.

Scully froze at the sound of two gunshots, fired almost simultaneously. Her gut clenched.

"Mulder?" She started running around to the front of the building. One of thos bullets had been meant for him, she was sure. They were fired too closely together to be from the same gun. She prayed, as always, that it hadn't hit it's mark.

"Mulder!" she screamed again. If everything had been okay, she would have seen him by now. He would have come around a corner looking for her, bedraggled and exhausted, maybe a little beat-up, but okay.

Scully tripped. Curse her high-healed shoes, why did she always have to be wearing htem when things like this happened? When Mulder still didn't make his appearance, she kicked them off in frustration and ran full-out.

Finally, she rounded the last corner. Two shapes were spralled on the ground. One was Mulder.

"No," her gut twisted tighter. She dropped to the ground beside him and searched for a pulse, sighing in relief when she found it. She took half a second to glance at the other figure. It wasn't moving. Mulder was a good shot, whoever it was, he was probably dead. She turned her attention back to Mulder.

There was a gash along the left side of his head, just above the temple. Probably where the bullet had grazed him. A bruise was forming under his jaw, and there was a cut on his lip. The guns must have been the culmination of an otherwise hand-to-hand fight. She couldn't see any signs of other injuries, but that didn't mean there weren't any.

"Mulder?" she touched his face, then shook his shoulder gently. "Mulder, are you okay?" A silly question, she knew, but what else was there to say? She lifted his head, cradling it in her arms.

"Dammit, Mulder, wake up already," she bit her lip. Her mind was racing through all the possible effects of a blow to the head hard enough to knock a person unconcious: concussion, memory loss, paralysis, brain damage, coma... brain death. She grimaced at the thought, that he could be dead, while at the same time physically alive, and she wouldn't know until he got to the hospital.

The hospital! In her frenzy she'd forgotten to call an ambulance. Quickly, she began searching her pockets for her cell phone.

"I'd keep your hands where I can see them, Miss Scully."

She froze, slowly withdrew her hand from her pocket, and looked up. The other man was apparently not dead, though he was clutching a freely-bleeding wound in his side and swaying slightly. She couldn't make out his face in the dark.

"How do you know my name?"

"I have my ways," the voice was almost mechanical, totally devoid of emotion. Like he had recited the lines a hundred times before, and they had no more significance to him than an ant on the sidewalk. "Now move away please. He needs to die, and I don't want to hit you instead."

"Why?" the longer she could keep him talking, the more time she had to think of a way out of this.

"Because I don't believe in killing when it isn't necessary."

That wasn't the answer she was trying to find, but she'd run with it.

"And why is it necessary to kill Agent Mulder?"

"If I told you that, I'd have to kill you as well, and as I said, I don't want to do that."

Slowly, she pulled Mulder closer, reaching for her gun with her other hand, hoping the man in front of her didn't see the movement.

It wasn't there. Her gun wasn't there.

She'd dropped it on the ground a few feet behind her.

_Stupid, stupid!_ Scully kicked herself mentally.

"Now, Miss Scully, please move away. You have a promising career ahead of you. Don't let it go to waste because of him."

The man raised his own gun, pointing it at Mulder's chest.

"No!" Scully tried her best to cover Mulder's body with her own. The sound of the shot was drowned out by searing pain through her shoulder and hip as the bullet tore past. For a second, she couldn't remember anything. It hurt too much. She shook her head, trying to bring herself back and figure out what was going on.

Another shot, followed by a thud of impact. She didn't know where it landed. Her eyes snapped open. Mulder's face was barely an inch from her own. She had to protect him. He wasn't going to die, not tonight.

Mulder's gun! It was by his hand still. She looked up at the man. He was swaying still, gun wavering. He was losing to much blood. She lunged over Mulder's body and grabbed his gun, firing once, twice. The man crumpled to the ground. She ran over and took his gun, then cuffed his hands behind his back. She wouldn't take any chances this time. She checked for a pulse last. It was there, but weak.

Returning to Mulder, she finally located her phone.

"Yes, this is Special Agent Dana Scully. I have an agent down, possibly in critical condition, extent of injuries is unknown. Requesting EMS immidiately. There's also..." Scully looked up. The man was gone. She almost dropped the phone in shock. He had been shot three times. He'd barely been standing after the first. How had he managed to get up and walk away? She spun around, looking for any sign of him.

"Yes?" the voice on the other end of the line asked patiently.

"There's - There's nothing. Nevermind. Just please send an ambulance right away. We're at an old warehouse just south of the city. I don't know what..."

"We know where you mean. We'll get help to you as soon as possible."

She sat down next to Mulder to wait, unconsiouly lifting his head again and holding him to her. The movement caused pain to shoot through her arm and thigh, and she was suddenly very aware of the near miss she had just experienced.

"Oh, Mulder. What have you gotten yourself into now?"

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**A/N: There you have it. And believe me, I'm just as curious to find out why this guy's out to kill Mulder as you are. As I said earlier, my stories tend to just happen. They have a life of their own, and I have very minimal input. Anyone who knows me knows my stories frequently go in a direction I don't want to take them, but I have no control over it. Anyway, I sort of know where the next chapter or two is going, but I don't have time to write them at the moment. I'll try and get one up every week or so, but I make no promises. You have permission to yell if I'm taking to long. If anyone has any suggestions or theories on what's going on, feel free to let me know. I might even incorporate your idea somehow (with your permission of course).**

**Please review. Getting reviews always makes my day, even if it's something as simple as "good story, keep going."**

**Constructive criticism is always welcome. Flames are not. If you don't like it, don't read it. Simple as that.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Once again, I should be doing homework, but... I'd much rather be doing this. I had some issues getting the dialogue to work in this one (Scully and Mulder seem to have ditched me...) so hopefully it's not too corny or out of character, and I apologize if it is. heheh... Anyway, thanks for the reviews guys! I love hearing from you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The X-Files. It belongs to... Dammit, I forgot his name again! I just looked it up yesterday too. Anyway, it's not mine. I can only claim this story in particular, and any characters not from the show.**

**Now, without any further adieu, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

Scully shuffled down the hallway towards Mulder's room, miserable and in pain. She was regretting kicking off her shoes. She had stepped on something, probably an old piece of metal or glass, that had left a long, deep cut on the bottom of her foot. Both feet felt like they had been pummeled with sharp rocks, and the cushioned slippers she was wearing didn't help. Her arm and hip were stiff from the bullet graze, and she winced whenever she brushed past something or moved too fast.

It had been just over twenty-four hours since the ambulance came to pick them up. She hadn't been allowed to leave her room since they got to the hospital, and her questions about Mulder went unanswered. She practically had to beg to get the nurses to let her leave the room and go see him. Now she was starting to wish she'd just stayed in bed for a couple more hours.

She made it to Mulder's room, and slowly pushed the door open. There was a doctor inside.

"How is he?" She asked, limping into the room. The doctor looked up.

"You're his partner, are you?" He asked with a slight smile. She nodded. He pulled a chair from the corner for her and put it next to the bed. She sat down and grabbed Mulder's hand.

"He's got a broken rib and a concussion. We suspect there may be some neurological damage, probably temporary, but there's no way to tell until he wakes up."

"Thank you."

"I'm done here for now. I'll be back in a few hours to check on him."

When the doctor left, Scully took a closer look at Mulder. More bruises had appeared since the night before on his face and arms, and there were cuts and scrapes she hadn't noticed in the dark.

"My god, Mulder, why didn't you tell me what was going on? Why didn't you let me help you?" She sighed and put her head down on his arm. She was so tired. Eventually, she drifted into a haze of half-sleep, strange dreams mingling with the real-life sounds of Mulder's breathing, the beeps of the heart monitor, the voices of people passing in the hallway... She was back at the warehouse, but Mulder was pointing the gun at her, instead of the man. She was in Mulder's office, his hospital bed replacing the desk, Skinner talking to her from the door. She was back at her own house, having a conversation with her dog. Everyone was talking in voices other than their own, saying things that didn't make sense in the context of the situation. Oddly though, it all seemed perfectly normal.

She felt movement beneath her head. For a minute, she couldn't tell whether it was a dream or not. Slowly, she pulled herself back to reality. Mulder was moving. Was he waking up finally?

"Mulder?"

His eyes opened, and then closed immediately against the bright hospital lights. He looked confused, and took a minute before answering.

"... Scu - Scully?" He asked tentatively, unsure. She had to lean in close to hear him.

"Yes, I'm here. You're going to be alright Mulder."

"Scully, I can't feel my arm."

"What?" her mind raced, again, through the possibilities. If he couldn't feel his arm... what if he couldn't feel his other limbs, what if the doctor had been wrong and Mulder was paralyzed? He'd have to have work at a desk all day, or worse, he'd lose his job, and she'd have to find a new partner. How would he find his answers? Would she be allowed to continue his work?

"You're squeezing it too hard."

Scully looked down. She was gripping his arm with both hands. Her knuckles were white, and his arm was turning blue.

"Oh," she snatched her hands away, embarrassed. "Sorry."

Still squinting against the light, Mulder tried to sit up. Scully jumped forward to help him. They both grimaced at the same time and fell back to where they were, Mulder holding his side, Scully her leg. She could have almost laughed at how useless that had been. It was like the blind leading the blind.

"I think I'll just stay like this," Mulder said hoarsely.

"You have a broken rib and a concussion, you probably shouldn't be sitting up anyway," Scully agreed, rubbing her leg.

Mulder noticed the pain in her voice. When she saw him looking at her, she hastily tried to pull down the sleeve of her shirt to cover the bandage on her arm. Mulder didn't need to be worrying about her on top of everything else.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Scully knew it was a weak lie. She was still trying to cover the bandage, but her sleeves were too short. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Mulder clenched his fists. "That bastard! He said he wouldn't hurt you as long as..." Mulder trailed off when he realized he was speaking out loud. "Why did you come? I told you to stay at the back."

"I heard gunshots, Mulder. I was worried."

"Well, you should've-"

"I wasn't going to just let you die Mulder!"

They both paused for a minute, looking at each other. Then Mulder sighed and looked away. When he looked back, he took her hand, clumsily.

"Thank you."

Scully couldn't tell whether he really meant it, or was just saying it to make her feel better. Probably (hopefully) a little of both. She waited another minute before asking the question that had been gnawing at her all day.

"Mulder, what's going on?"

He barely held in a sigh of relief when the doctor arrived to save him from answering the question.

"So he's awake finally," the doctor smiled - one of those big, toothy smiles that only annoyingly and perpetually happy can manage - oblivious to the conversation he had just interrupted.

It made Scully want to stuff something down his throat.

"I'd like to run some tests now, so if you don't mind, I think you should go back to your own room now."

Scully stood and faced the doctor, clearly not in a good mood.

"I'd appreciate it if you would come get me when you're done."

"Of course."

Mulder watched her leave. He saw the limp she was trying to hide, and knew it was because of him that she was suffering.

_Why didn't you leave me, Scully? Why do you have to care so much?_

_... Somtimes I wish you'd never met me, Dana._

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**A/N: Wow, remember what I said about having minimal control over my stories? Yeah, that's what happened here. I definitely didn't expect that kind of ending for this chapter. I'd had a slightly lighter ending planned... but apparently that didn't happen. I'd also planned on hearing the results of those tests this chapter, but I guess that's not happening either. You'll have to wait until the next chapter!! Sorry guys, but it can't be helped... Please R&R! constructive criticism and suggestions for future chapters are always welcome (if the story doesn't take over again, that is...)**

**btw, the dream thing has no deeper meaning or foreshadowing involved, I just needed a filler to space out one event from the next. And the image of Scully falling asleep on Mulder's arm was just too cute to resist.**

**One other thing before I start getting messages about this, I realize that in places the storyline/dialogue is a bit cliche. Please bear in mind that I'm writing this purely for my own amusement and as a stress reliever, so I'm really not putting a whole lot of effort into coming up with a completely unique story.  
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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys, I was busy... and then I was lazy.**

**Who's excited about the new X-Files movie? I know I am **

**Anyway, I'm still working out the details of the next chapter, so here's a little taste of what's to come. This chapter, and probably the next couple, are going to be a little bit lighter than the last two. Well, this one's still kind of serious... but humorous too? Just because I've always gotta get _some_ humour in there. And really, X-Files just wouldn't be X-Files without making us laugh once in a whil**

**Disclaimer: The X-Files belongs to Chris Carter (gasp I remembered his name?) and 20th Century Fox... and anyone else who has a claim to the copyright.**

**Enjoy.**

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Chapter 3

Scully sat in her bed, staring at the door to her hospital room.

Finally a figure appeared on the other side and she heard the knock she'd been waiting for.

"Come in," She stood, expecting a nurse.

It was Doctor Cheery.

_Great._

He smiled so wide his eyes were barely visible.

"Well, we're all finished with the tests."

How could he be so goddamn happy when her partner had nearly been killed the day before?

Her death glare went totally unnoticed. Probably because his eyes were nearly shut from the smile. She wanted to slap him.

"And?" The anger in her voice had the effect of a bucket of cold water. The doctor's smile faltered.

"Um, well, he's going to have some difficulties..."

The glare continued. His beating around the bush was doing nothing to improve her mood.

"There's been some loss of basic motor skills, and he's going to have some trouble remembering things. Names, people, places..."

That would explain why he'd seemed uncertain when he said her name.

"It's only temporary though. In a month or two, he should be perfectly back to normal," the smile returned. Scully's eyes narrowed. The smile disappeared again.

"Well, it - it should be temporary."

How had this guy managed to finish medical school?

"When can he be discharged?"

The doctor swallowed. "We'd like to keep him here another day or two, to make sure there isn't going to be any bleeding or swelling. But he can't be left alone when he goes home."

Scully hesitated a moment. His mother could take him... but there was no way in hell he'd ever agree to it. In fact, leaving him with his mother was probably the best way of getting him to sneak back to his own apartment and consequently make things worse. Besides, she lived too far away.

Friends? No, Scully seemed to be the nearest thing to a close friend that he had, and there wasn't anyone in the area she could think of who would take him on such short notice.

Well, the Lone Gunmen would take him.

She cringed inwardly at the thought.

There was really only one possibility. But... living with Mulder? Working with him, staying in the same motel for a few days, that was one thing. But living with him? In the same apartment?

"He can stay with me. How long?"

"I can't say. Probably a week or two, maybe longer. You're a doctor, I'm sure you know how precarious head injuries can be. He'll need to come in once in a while to check on things, until we're sure everything is completely healed."

"Of course."

She could see that smile slowly creeping back. She wanted to shake him.

"And what about me, when can I be discharged?"

Blindingly white teeth, ear to ear, "Today, if you want. But you have to be sure to take it easy."

"Thank you. Can I see Fox now?" She surprised herself at the use of his first name.

"Certainly," The eyes were disappearing now. There must be something wrong with him.

He started following her down the hallway. She glared over her shoulder at him, and he quickly ducked into a patient's room.

She stopped outside Mulder's door. Two days with Smiles M.D. and he'd have lost more than his memory and coordination. Even the most hardened agent would go insane being around that kind of incessant happiness. Besides the fact that this guy obviously had the IQ of a fruit fly. She turned and continued down the hallway to the front desk.

A nurse was bent over the desk filling out paperwork. She looked up as Scully approached. It was the same nurse who had been looking after her that morning, and who had gone into Mulder's room as she left it.

"Can I help you Dana?" by the amused expression on her face, she seemed to know what was coming next.

"Yes, I'd like to request a new doctor for my friend."

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**A/N: Well, I was gonna have Scully go into Mulder's room before ending it with her asking for a new doctor... but it just wasn't working with the rest of the chapter. No matter how I wrote it, it ended up with long awkward silences, or arguments, or both. At one point Mulder told her what was going on... but that's no good. It's too early in the story. And, since _I _still don't know what's going on, he got stuck after telling her who the guy in the first chapter was. So I'm going to save that conversation for later. This'll be an interesting experiment, usually I have _some_ sort of vague idea about the ending, but this time, nothing. Anyway, please review. I know you want to.  
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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: First of all, thanks for the support guys, I'm really glad you're all liking it so far.**

**Secondly, I saw the new movie, and oh my god, it was amazing! I absolutely loved it. It wasn't quite as 'big' as the first movie, but it was great. Kind of like one last episode before saying good bye. Those evil people who gave it bad reviews don't know what they're talking about. "Not believable." Peh. It's X-Files, what did they expect? I have to say, it's certainly as or more believable than a lot of the other movies out there (The Mummy, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Hancock, etc. Which, while I'm sure they're all good, definitely aren't 'believable').**

**Anyway, enough of my rambling. I got kind of stuck on this chapter after the first couple of paragraphs, so I've been working on some later chapters, but finally something fell into place and I was able to finish it. It's pretty short, but I'm sure you've noticed already that I've got a thing for short chapters. **

**Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The X-Files.**

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Chapter 4

They went to Mulder's apartment first, so he could get his clothes and whatever else he would need for the next little while.

Mulder was... awkward, to say the least. He tripped on things he shouldn't have, and occasionally seemed on the verge of losing his balance. He walked slower than usual, but Scully wasn't sure how much of that was due to his clumsiness, and how much to her own inability to walk very quickly.

She smiled grimly to herself. They must be quite the sight. Scully shuffling and limping down the hall, and Mulder, battered and bruised, making his way clumsily and looking totally lost. He stopped three or four doors past his own and looked around.

"Um, Scully, I don't..."

"It's this one, Mulder."

"Oh, right," he said, looking embarrassed as he walked back to where she was standing. He fumbled for the key in his pocket, then tried with difficulty to fit the key in the luck. He just ended up dropping it.

"It's okay Mulder, I'll do it," Scully smiled at him reassuringly and touched his arm. He looked at the other doors while she jiggled the key in the lock. He associated a face or a name with some of the doors, but for the most part he couldn't remember who lived in the rooms. He didn't know them very well in the first place though, so he guessed he couldn't expect too much.

"There we go," Scully got the door open and they both went inside. Something seemed to click for Mulder, and he suddenly seemed much more confident. One of the first things he went for was a bag of sunflower seeds in the kitchen. Scully tried not to laugh.

_At least he remembers where those are._

She spotted a crumpled duffel bag sitting in a corner and picked it up.

"Here Mulder," she went into the kitchen and handed it to him. He was already crunching away on the sunflower seeds and rummaging through the fridge. There was something in the back that looked like it might have once been an apple. She tried not to think about it.

"What's this for?" He asked, turning to her.

"Packing. You're staying with me for a while, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," he obviously thought she hadn't been serious when she told him that in the hospital. "Couldn't I just-"

"No, Mulder. The doctor said you couldn't be left alone for very long."

"But-"

"Mulder, head injuries are serious. Sometimes there's something wrong that can't be seen right away. You either stay with me for a couple of weeks, or go back to the hospital."

"Scully, I'm fine. Really."

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, giving him her classic "yeah right" look.

"What if you just call once in a while, that would work wouldn't it?"

"No, Mulder."

She could tell he was trying to come up with another excuse.

"Mulder, you're tripping over everything, you couldn't hold your keys, you couldn't even remember which apartment was yours. You're not fine."

"What if-"

"And I'm not going to stay here."

"That's not what I was going to say."

She paused for a moment, waiting. "Well?"

"What if I stayed with someone else?"

"If you can think of someone else in the area, feel free."

They stood looking at each other for a few minutes. Mulder sighed and looked away. He couldn't think of anyone.

"Come on, Mulder. How bad could it be?"

He looked down for a second, then looked back up at her.

"Please, Scully," she was taken aback by the desperation in his voice.

She could guess what it was about.

"Mulder, what is going on? What don't you want me to know?"

He looked away again. Without meeting her eyes, he stepped forward and took the duffel bag she was holding.

"I'll go pack."

He took only a few minutes.

As she turned to close the door behind them, she noticed a masking-tape X on his window, the edges just beginning to curl away from the glass.

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**A/N: There you go. Hmmmm, possibly a little hint there at the end? Which, unfortunately, doesn't really mean much at this point since I'm not entirely sure why I put it in there, but I guess it'll have some importance later on. It's kind of a hunch about what's going on, and hopefully it doesn't come back to bite me later. lol. I've got chapter 6 and 7 pretty well finished. I still have to figure out chapter 5. Then I've got some other ideas floating around that may go into chapter 5, or may come after chapter 7. And then I guess I've really gotta start figuring out where all this is going. I have a feeling this might be a little longer than my fanfictions normally are... not that I've actually finished that many... **

**You know what's odd? After the first chapter, I'd planned on telling the story from Mulder's point of view.  
**

**Oh well, this seems to be working out better.**

**Please Review. You know you want to.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I promise I didn't forget, I've just been busy with school, and attempting to make some money so I can afford school, and school, and getting commissions done... did I mention school?**

**Anyway, I've actually had this written for... well, a long time. This was originally going to be chapter 7, I believe, but... I don't actually remember what I was going to do between chapter 4 and this one, and it seems to fit, so I'm just making this one chapter 5. Hopefully I won't regret putting it in this order later, haha...**

**X-Files doesn't belong to me... although damn, I wish it did.**

**Enjoy**

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Chapter 5

There was a knock at the door and Scully looked through the peephole. Skinner was standing there. She immediately undid the chain and opened the door.

"A.D. Skinner, I wasn't expecting you."

"I just wanted to see how Agent Mulder was doing. May I come in?"

"Of course," Scully stepped inside.

Mulder was in the living room watching TV. Sunflower seed shells covered the table beside him and cascaded onto the floor. When he saw Skinner enter the room, he turned off the TV and stood up, knocking the table over in the process and sending yet more shells to the carpet.

"Crap," he muttered, and started to bend over to pick it up, but thought better of it at the twinge from his broken rib. He turned to face Skinner.

"Mulder," Skinner nodded. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess... sir," Mulder gave Scully a horrified look. He couldn't remember Skinner's name.

Scully stepped over and tried to whisper as discreetly as she could "Assistant Director Walter Skinner."

The name didn't mean anything to him. He remembered that Skinner was in charge of his section of the FBI, and that he'd known the man for years, but apart from that, he couldn't remember a thing about him. He looked down at his shoes.

"It's okay, Mulder." Skinner clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I understand what happened. Just give it some time. You can take as long as you need. I don't expect you back at work until you're back to normal." Mulder continued to look down. Skinner glanced at Dana. She gave a little nod. It would probably be best if he left.

"Look after yourself Mulder."

"Yes sir."

Scully followed him out of the apartment, shutting the door behind her as they entered the hallway.

"Sir, do you have any idea who did this?"

"I'm sorry, Scully, I don't have a clue."

Scully bit her lip and seemed to be pondering something. She spoke hesitantly.

"Sir, I know this is going to sound like Mulder talking, but that man, the one who tried to kill him, he was... well, he was... strange, sir."

"Strange? How so?

"He was shot three times, sir. Once by Mulder, and twice by me. He was critically wounded, he could barely stand after Mulder's shot, and yet somehow, despite being handcuffed and having lost too much blood to even remain conscious, he managed to escape in the few seconds it took me to phone 911. To be frank, sir, no human should have been able to even get up after that."

"Could he have had help?"

"No, sir. I would have seen."

"What are you trying to say Scully?"

Scully sighed, "I don't know, sir. I just... I don't know."

Skinner looked away for a moment, trying to figure out what to do with that statement.

"I'm taking over this case personally, Scully," he said finally. Scully was about to say something, but he stopped her. "I don't want either of you involved in the investigation. At least not right now. I don't want either of you anywhere near the office until you are both," he stressed the word, "completely better. Understood?"

She looked away, "Yes sir."

He sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I realize that following my orders is something you two rarely do, but please, I'm asking, as a friend, if you only follow one order from me for the rest of your career, make it this one."

Dana was unsure how to respond. She didn't have to, as Skinner continued talking.

"Take care of yourself, and take care of Mulder."

She nodded, "Yes sir."

He smiled and walked down the hall towards the elevator. Scully went back into her apartment. Mulder was in the same place he'd been when she left. He looked up at her, pain in his eyes.

"I couldn't remember him, Scully. We've been friends for years, and I couldn't even remember his name."

***

A man was in Skinner's office when he returned. He knew who it was before he even turned around.

"What are you doing here? I though I told you not to come back," Skinner growled.

"I merely wanted to know how Agent Mulder was doing," the man turned to face Skinner, a parody of a smile playing across his lips.

"I'm sure you know very well how he's doing, no thanks to you."

"Now, what would you mean by that?" He blew out a long stream of smoke, his voice sarcastically innocent, eyes gleaming in haughty amusement.

"You had something to do with it."

His smile widened only slightly as he laughed quietly to himself, the corners of his mouth tucking into the folds of his jowls. He took another draw on his cigarette.

"Mr. Skinner, I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about," he said in that sickly sweet, sing-song voice, always a little too happy for the situation at hand.

"Cut the crap," Skinner ground his teeth. "You had something to do with it, you always do. Who did you send after Mulder?"

"Such accusations you're throwing around, Mr. Skinner," The man drew again on the cigarette. "Are you really sure that's wise."

"According to you yourself, you don't exist. I can throw whatever accusations I want at you," Skinner snapped back.

"Hmm, yes," the man dropped his cigarette into the empty ashtray Skinner was using as a paper weight. "Legally, I can do nothing against such accusations," he continued, lighting a new one. "But there are other ways of protecting myself and my reputation."

"Is that a threat?"

"If that's what you make it."

"Enough of this," Skinner growled. "I want to know who you sent after Mulder, and I want to know why."

"I told you, I have no idea who was sent to kill Mulder."

"Maybe you can tell me why then. What did he find out? What did he get close to?"

"Why don't you ask him that?"

"He doesn't remember, because of your hit man's poor aim."

The man smiled, "I'm sure."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that it's a rather convenient excuse," He slowly breathed out a long stream of smoke, the evil gleam still in his eye. The dragon, gleefully toying with his victim. "But I'd be careful, Skinner. Whatever he got close to," he stubbed out the cigarette. "You wouldn't want to get too close to it yourself."

* * *

**A/N: You know what? As much as I absolutely despise cancer-man sometimes, damn is he ever fun to write for. I can understand why they kept him around for so long (aside from the fact that he just makes a great bad guy).**

**I hope you enjoyed it, please review!  
**


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